Emperor's Palace
by otakufire1028
Summary: Akashi Seijuro is a murderer that is deemed insane during his trial and is put in Teiko Mental Hospital. Kuroko Tetsuki, whose mother was killed by him, visits him every day in hopes of getting an answer for the one question she has: Why? Welcome to the Emperor's Palace. AkaFem!Kuro


**(A/N: Hello, readers. I probably should not have started another story that I probably won't be able to keep up with, but YOLO. I have no regrets.)**

Emperor's Palace

Summary

Akashi Seijuro is a murderer that is deemed insane during his trial and is put in Teiko Mental Hospital. Kuroko Tetsuki, whose mother was killed by him, visits him every day in hopes of getting an answer for the one question she has: why? Welcome to the Emperor's Palace.

Chapter One

~Welcome~

I welcome you, my esteemed guest, to my palace. This place filled with madness, insanity, hysteria—anything any sane person would want to run from. For you, I'm afraid it's too late. There's no escape from this place. I, the emperor, welcome you to the place that will drive you mad.

~Emperor's Palace~

"U-um, A-Akashi-kun, Kuroko-san is here to see you again," my trembling attendant, Furihata Kouki, said.

"Send her in."

"Y-yes!" He quickly ran out of the room.

I can see he still hasn't gotten used to me. Kouki has been assisting me for the last few weeks since the last attendant left. The previous attendant… Let's just say he won't be coming back.

"Hello, Akashi-kun," the sky blue-haired girl wearing a white sailor style uniform with a blue and green stripe at the collar and the bottom of the skirt, a navy blue sweater, and a green tie known as Kuroko Tetsuki said, accompanied by Kouki who was still shaking. His white uniform accentuated how pale he'd gotten.

"Greetings, Tetsuki. I see you've come to interrogate me once again," I said with a smile. Her determination in obtaining an answer was rather amusing.

"I have," she replied. "Will you answer me today?"

"Who knows?"

She looked me in the eyes. "Why did you kill her?"

You may be confused at this point. Who did I kill, you ask? Many, many people. Let us rewind to last year—the day I, of all people, got caught.

~Emperor's Palace~

December 18, the flashing lights and sirens caught up to me.

The running footsteps pass by, not knowing that I lurk in the shadows. I held onto my latest prize—the severed head of a beautiful woman with long, sky blue hair, her face frozen in an expression of fear. As I was about to make my escape, a light shone my way.

I grasped my unnaturally large, extremely sharp, steel scissors—the same pair I'd used to claim the lives of many—ready to take the officer's head.

The footsteps slowly walked closer. My heart raced with excitement as I prepared myself for another addition to my collection.

But, by the time I'd realized it, it was too late. A tanned officer had grabbed my arms from behind, trapping me and making me drop my prize and scissors. The other officer in front of me pulled his gun out and pointed it at my head. I noted the red shade of his hair. It was darker and not as bright as mine.

How ridiculous. I've been caught after the two years that I've been expanding my collection. Held at gunpoint. How cliché!

There was a loophole, though. Their mistake was letting my feet touch the floor.

I used a technique I'd learned to make both of them fall then ran. But the red-haired officer had enough tenacity to shoot. I was hit in the leg, making me fall. That was enough time for the tanned officer to spring to his feet and trap me yet again.

The officer was much taller than me so I didn't struggle since it'd be futile either way. I was quickly handcuffed by the red-haired, middle-aged man and brought in by the two.

After getting my wound treated, they'd locked me away until the day of the trial. But the two officers had come to visit me during that time. The redhead's name was Kagami Hiroshi, and the tanned one's name was Aomine Daichi. Both of them were fathers to kids my age.

A week after my arrest was the trial, which was also the day I met Kuroko Tetsuki. She was the carbon copy of the woman I'd beheaded. At first, I'd thought it was the woman I killed. I thought it was impossible that'd she'd still be living, but I soon figured this was her daughter. She had the same long, sky blue hair and pale skin. I thought she was very beautiful. I still do.

The moment our eyes met, her blue eyes, red and puffy, looked dead. The same way mine did the day my mother died. But unlike that day, she still had someone that cared.

My father had hated me due to how I was the spitting image of my mother. He'd hated the reminder that his loved one was gone and never coming back. So, just like that, I'd been cast away and locked into the depths of his mind never to resurface again.

I was forced to live on my own. I never saw the shitty bastard known as my father again. I was simply shipped off to one of the many houses he owned and cared for by the servants. Akashi Masaomi didn't care enough for his child that he basically threw away. The cops that arrested me were more of a father to me than that shit head.

Anyway, Hiroshi-san and Daichi-san escorted me in. I was handcuffed, of course.

"Sorry, Seijuro, you'll have to wear them," Hiroshi-san said. "We'd be fine fi you didn't have them, but it's a formality."

"If it'll keep the jury from freaking out, I'm fine with it," I answered.

"Thanks for understanding, kid," Daichi-san said.

The trial started as I took my seat, Hiroshi-san and Daichi-san on either side of me.

"Let us commence the trial of the fifteen-year-old murderer, Akashi Seijuro," the judge said.

I pretty much zoned out everything the judge said afterwards. I glanced at Kuroko Tetsuki, whose mother I killed. She'd caught me looking. I looked away and kept my eyes on the judge, pretending I'd been paying attention.

'You messed up,' a voice said.

I didn't know who said it, but when I looked around, no one was speaking other than a relative of someone I killed.

I must be imagining things, I thought.

'You aren't, though,' the voice said.

"Who are you?" I muttered.

'The personality you locked away the day our father abandoned us. Seijuro, let me out. I've been caged for a while now. Don't you think it's time?'

"What are you talking about?"

'I'm getting out. The person you are now will only cause you harm. Let me take over.'

There was suddenly a pang in my heart. My head was throbbing. It felt like someone had grabbed my brain and was squeezing the life out of it. Almost as if there were two people fighting within me, trying to seize control of my mind.

I grabbed my head, hoping the pain would stop, but it didn't. I let out an agonizing scream.

"Seijuro, what's wrong?" Hiroshi-san said.

"It hurts," I said, clutching my head. I felt something drip down the right side of my face.

I saw the flashbacks of the time my mother died and the aftermath. The bloody mess she was reduced to, the smirk of that thieving scum, the day of my mother's funeral, my father's uncaring look towards me, the teasing and isolation from my classmates—everything. During my mother's funeral, her body was so mutilated that they couldn't let me see her remains.

"Make it stop!"

"Seijuro, calm down," Daichi-san said with concerned eyes. "It's all in your head." He rubbed my back, trying to soothe me, but it was no use. The pain was still there.

I saw someone's feet in front of me then felt a hand on my head. A few minutes later, the pain was gone, and the flashbacks stopped. I looked up and there was Kuroko Tetsuki, the dead look in her eyes replaced with one of concern.

"Are you okay now?" she asked.

I nodded, rather dumbfounded. The girl who needed comfort the most right now was comforting me, the murderer who beheaded her important family member with scissors and pretty much destroyed her family.

She gently put her hand to my face. "Did you realize you were crying?"

What? I touched my face. It was indeed wet with tears. I stared at my trembling hands. When did I get so weak?

"As I thought…" she said. What was she thinking? "May I sit next to you?"

"Tetsuki?!" her father said, shocked.

"It'll be fine, Otou-san," she reassured. "So may I, Akashi-kun?"

I nodded. Hiroshi-san scooted down the bench to make a space for her. She sat down next to me. Just what is she thinking? I can't read her. Wouldn't someone normally avoid a murderer like me?

The trial continued. The victim's relative who was previously speaking looked extremely annoyed before continuing. When everyone's attention was directed toward them and away from us, Kuroko tapped my leg. I looked at her through the corner of my eye.

She checked to see if Hiroshi-san and Daichi-san were looking before drawing something on my leg with her finger. Judging from the strokes, she was writing characters. She looked to the speaker to mask what she was doing.

'I don't think you should go to prison so I'm going to make an opportunity for you. I think you deserve a second chance. You're about the same age as me. You shouldn't be rotting in jail. You won't have the freedom you had before, but at least you'll be taken care of better than in prison.'

I nodded, subtly. Using morse code, I tapped, 'What do you plan to do?'

'I'm going to propose that you were not in your right mind. They'll send you to a mental hospital, but it's better than prison.'

'Why are you doing this? Why do you care? I killed your mother.'

'I'm aware. But you're still only fifteen. Under different circumstances, we might've been friends. We could still be friends. I'll help you, but, in exchange, be my friend. Agreed?'

'Agreed.'

'I won't force it out of you, but I also want to know the reason why you killed my mother.'

I nodded.

'Then I'll start the plan.'

And like that, our silent first conversation started and ended.

"…therefore, Akashi Seijuro should be put to death!" the victim's relative finished. He finally shut up.

"Objection!" Kuroko said, standing.

"Eh?! Tetsuki, what are you doing?!" her father said.

"What I think is right," she answered. "Your Honor, may I suggest something?"

"What is it?"

"Have you considered that maybe Akashi-kun was not in his right mind when the victims were murdered?"

The jury muttered amongst themselves.

"That's preposterous! He had a fucking head collection!" the relative that suggested I be subjected to death row said. "You're mother was one of that fucking bastard's victims! Why are you defending him?!"

"And why do you, a fully grown adult, act this way toward children?" she countered.

I have two words to describe that burn: oh dang.

"As I was saying, Akashi-kun may not have been in his right mind. You all saw his mental breakdown a few minutes ago. He may have a case of post traumatic stress that none of you know about that triggered something in him to act the way he did. It might have caused a personality disorder and affected his way of thinking, which would explain why he thinks head collecting is alright.

"You all have only been focusing on his wrongs. Have you not considered that someone has wronged him? Maybe that caused his trauma which led to his personality disorder. This whole thing could've been indirectly caused by the actions of others. He's only fifteen. Without the proper guidance, I could have turned out like him. He's simply troubled, misguided," she explained, walking to the front.

She didn't know how right she was.

"She has a point," the judge said.

"He's still a murderer!" the man insisted, exasperated. "He deserves death row."

"So you think children should die?" Kuroko said.

"Wha— You're delusional!"

"That's what your actions and insistence are showing me. Actions speak louder than words."

"Why you little—"

"Order! Order!" the judge said, pounding his gavel on the podium.

Silence overcame the court.

"I've made my decision," he said. "I deem Akashi Seijuro mentally unstable. He's to be sent to a mental hospital as soon as possible."

"But, Your Honor—" the man who suggested my being sent to death row tried to protest.

"That's that," he said, sternly. "Kuroko Tetsuki has a legitimate argument. I'm giving the boy, Akashi Seijuro, the help he needs." He pounded his gavel once more. "Meeting adjourned, case closed, court dismissed, however you wish to say this meeting is over."

Daichi-san uncuffed me. "I'm letting you go right now, but you'll still have to come with us later. Got it kid?"

"Yes, sir."

The Kurokos walked up to me. I bowed. "I'm sorry for my previous actions. I know an apology won't bring back the loved one you lost, so I understand if you cannot accept it," I said.

There was silence for a moment.

Kuroko broke the silence. "Akashi-kun, lift your head," she said. I did so. "Apology accepted," she said with a smile.

"That goes for both of us," her father, Kuroko Tetsurou, said. A distant expression came upon his face, "Besides, I don't think Tetsumi would like it if we held a grudge against you." The look disappeared as fast as it appeared. "Son, I don't know what might've happened to you, but you need help. I support Tetsuki in her decision to get you that help. I don't know if going to a hospital will be able to assist you, but I hope for the best," he said, patting me on the back. When was the last time I was called 'son?'

"Thank you, sir." I turned to Tetsuki. "Thank you for the opportunity to start anew," I said, bowing once more.

"Enough bowing already! Stand up straight," she ordered. She gave me a smile. "We're friends, aren't we?"

I was yet again dumbfounded. I didn't think she actually meant it earlier. I nodded, unable to say a word.

She held out a fist.

"Are you going to hit me?" I asked.

"No! Don't tell me you've never fist bumped anyone before?"

"What is this thing you call a 'fist bump?'"

Her jaw dropped. "Give me your hand," she said, holding out hers. I put my hand out. She took it in her small hands and positioned it in a fist. She then made a fist and bumped it against mine. "That's a fist bump." She wore a radiant smile.

I stared at my fist.

"It's an act of friendship," she explained, briefly.

I nodded.

Hiroshi-san came up to us. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's time to go, Seijuro."

"Okay," I replied.

"Um, officer," Kuroko said. "What hospital will he be taken to?"

"Teiko. My partner's son is there, as well," he answered.

She nodded. "I'll come visit," she said, smiling. "Bye, Akashi-kun." She waved as I followed Hiroshi-san and Daichi-san out.

I acknowledged her farewell by raising the hand we fist bumped with before catching up with the two cops.

And that is how I was deemed insane and checked into Teiko Mental Hospital as a patient.

Kuroko, as she said, came to visit. She came everyday. Every time, she'd ask for the reason why, but every time, I'd make something up on the spot. I still haven't tole her the reason.

Since December 28 of last year, Teiko has become my palace, and I, its emperor.

~Emperor's Palace~

"I wanted something for amusement," I answered.

Tetsuki shot a deadpanned expression my way, not believing it a single bit. As for what the reason actually is, that's for me to know and you to find out.

"Good one, Akashi-kun," she said. "But I know you don't do things without a reason."

"True."

We chatted for a bit longer until Tetsuki had to leave. We said our goodbyes, and she walked out of my throne room, leaving me in solitude.

~Emperor's Palace~

As I said, my guest, it's too late for you. The insanity will reach for you, grab you by the ankles, and drag you down into the depths of madness. Welcome to my palace.


End file.
